The Eight Honourable Francis, seventh Lord Napier, of
Merchiston— whose lineal ancestor, John Napier of Merchiston, was the
celebrated inventor of logarithms—was born at Ipswich in 1758, and
succeeded his father in 1785.

At sixteen years of age, his lordship entered the
Army as an ensign in the 31st Regiment, and served in America during the
War of Independence. under General Burgoyne. He was one of those who
piled arms on the heights of Saratoga in 1777, and was detained a
prisoner of war upwards of six months. He was then allowed to return to
Britain on parole not to serve in America until regularly exchanged,
which was effected in 1780. Lord Napier subsequently held commissions in
several corps, and had attained the majority of the 4th Regiment, when,
in 1789, in consequence of the peace, he sold out and retired from the
army.

On the 16th September of the same year, Lord Napier,
as Grand Master Mason of Scotland, had the honour of laying the
foundation-stone of the College of Edinburgh. The following was the
order of the procession:—"The Lord Provost, Magistrates, and Council, in
their robes, with the City Regalia carried before them; the Principal
and Professors of the University, in their gowns, with the mace carried
before them; the Students, with green laurel in their hats; a Band of
Singers, conducted by Mr. Schekey; the different Lodges of Free and
Accepted Masons, with their proper insignia, etc.; a Band of
Instrumental Music."

The procession, in which there were many of the
nobility and gentry of Scotland, proceeded from the Parliament House,
down the High Street, and along the South Bridge. The streets were lined
by a party of the 35th Regiment and the City Guard. The procession began
to move at half-past twelve, and reached the site of the College at one
o'clock.

The Grand Master, standing on the east, with his
Substitute on his right hand, and the Grand Wardens on the west, having
applied the square and level to the stone, and, after three knocks with
the mallet, invoked the blessing of the "Great Architect of the
Universe" on the foundation-stone, three cheers were given by the
brethren.

The cornucopia and two silver vessels were then
brought from the table and delivered—the cornucopia to the Substitute,
and the two vessels to the Wardens—and were successively presented to
the Grand Master, who, according to an ancient ceremony, poured the
corn, the wine, and the oil which they contained on the stone,
saying—"May the all-bounteous Author of Nature bless this city with
abundance of corn, wine, and oil, and with all the necessaries,
conveniences, and comforts of life; and may the same Almighty Power
preserve this city from ruin and decay to the latest posterity."

On this the brethren gave three cheers, and the Grand
Master addressed himself to the Lord Provost and Magistrates, and to the
Principal, as representing the University, in very eloquent speeches, to
which the Lord Provost and the Reverend Principal made suitable replies.

Two crystal bottles, cast on purpose at the
Glass-House of Leith, were deposited in the foundation-stone. In one of
these were put different coins of the present reign, previously
enveloped in crystal. In the other bottle were deposited seven rolls of
vellum, containing a short account of the original foundation and
present state of the University. The bottles, being carefully sealed up,
were covered with a plate of copper wrapt in block-tin; and upon the
underside of the copper were engraven the arms of the city of Edinburgh,
of the University, and of the Eight Hon. Lord Napier, Grand Master Mason
of Scotland. Upon the upper side was a Latin inscription, of which the
following is a translation:—

"By the blessing of Almighty God, in the Reign of the
Most Munificent Prince, George III., the buildings of the University of
Edinburgh, being originally very mean, and now, after two centuries,
almost a ruin, the Eight Honourable Francis, Lord Napier, Grand Master
of the Fraternity of Free-Masons in Scotland, amidst the acclamations of
a prodigious concourse of all ranks of people, laid the Foundation-Stone
of this new fabric, in which a union of elegance with convenience,
suitable to the dignity of such a celebrated seat of learning, has been
studied: on the 16th day of November, in the year of our Lord 1789, and
of the era of Masonry 5789, Thomas Elder being the Lord Provost of the
City; William Robertson, the Principal of the University; and Robert
Adam, the Architect. May the undertaking prosper, and be crowned with
success!"

On the ceremony being finished, three cheers were
given, when the procession marched back in reverse order. The number of
spectators, it is stated, could not be less than 80,000; and,
notwithstanding such a vast concourse, the utmost order was observed.

In the evening a sumptuous dinner was given, in the
Assembly Rooms, by the Lord Provost and Magistrates, at which upwards of
three hundred noblemen and gentlemen were present.

Almost immediately after this auspicious event, Lord
Napier was presented with the freedom of the city by the Magistrates;
and had the degree of Doctor of Laws conferred upon him, along with the
Right Hon. Henry Dundas, then Treasurer of the Navy, by the University.

Among the subscriptions towards the fund for
rebuilding the College, that of a farmer was the most singular. His
letter to the Lord Provost accompanying the donation we shall quote as
somewhat curious:—

"My Lord,—In my humble retreat I have heard, and with
pleasure, of the various improvements which have been made in our
metropolis, and are still going forward; that which claims a preference
to all others has been reserved for your administration; and I
congratulate you on the appearance that your well-directed exertions
promise to obtain a support equal to the approbation they merit.

"I cannot pretend to emulate the opulent who so
liberally have subscribed to rebuild the University; but I am willing to
bestow a little of what I can spare, to testify my approbation of a work
so commendable; and hope that the form in which it is offered may not
prove offensive, because it is singular—rather hope that a well-meant
example may lead others of my fraternity to an imitation of it.

"I have heard that the nation generally esteemed the
most polished in Europe, has stript itself of all objects of vanity and
luxury, and made offer of them for the service of the State. May I,
then, in imitation of an example so patriotic, presume, without offence,
to present my mite for promoting your noble undertaking, in the shape of
Two Stots.

"In a neighbouring county, not long ago, the carcase
of a bullock was sold at 1s. 1d. per lb., every person being desirous to
have a slice of an animal accounted of an extraordinary size. Those I
now take the liberty to offer are not possessed of the same merit, but I
believe they have that of being uncommonly good. As such, I beg to
recommend them to lovers of science, and in a special manner to the
adepts in the fashionable science of eating at the approaching season of
festivity.

"Wishing all sorts of success and encouragement to
your undertaking, prosperity to the great city over which you preside,
and happiness to yourself, I take the liberty to subscribe myself, my
lord, your lordship's most obedient and most humble servant,A Farmer.

"P.S.—The person who will hand you this letter will
inform your lordship where the two animals are to be found, which will
be delivered to your order."

The stots were disposed of in the Fleshmarket by
Deacon Andrew "Wilson. They were soon sold off—a great part of them at
1s. 1d. per lb.; such was the demand by the lovers of science for the
classic beef. The whole produce amounted to .£34 12s. 6d.

In 1793, when the Hopetoun Fencibles were embodied,
Lord Napier was appointed Lieut.-Colonel of the corps, and continued to
hold the commission until the regiment was disbanded in 1799. At the
general election in 1796, he was chosen one of the representative Peers
of Scotland ; and, on subsequent occasions, was again repeatedly
returned. His lordship was appointed Lord-Lieutenant of the county of
Selkirk in 1797; and, in 1802, was nominated Lord High Commissioner to
the General Assembly. This office he continued annually to hold for
nearly twenty years. On the 10th Nov., 1803, Lord Napier was elected a
member of the Society in Scotland for Propagating Christian Knowledge;
and, on the 3rd January, 1805, he was unanimously chosen President of
that Society, in the room of the Earl of Leven and Melville, whose time
for being in office had expired. He was also a member of the Board of
Trustees for the Encouragement of Scottish Manufactures and the
Fisheries.

Lord Napier was not distinguished in Parliament as an
orator or statesman ; but there are yet many who remember the
uncompromising integrity, and dignity, with which he supported the
representative character of his order. The following correspondence,
between the Secretary of State for the Home Department and his lordship,
immediately prior to the general election in 180G, affords the most
honourable testimony to the independence of his conduct:—

"Private.

"Whitehall, 18th October, 1806.

"My Dear Lord,—Though it is not improbable that the
reports of a dissolution of Parliament may have reached your lordship
before this letter, I thought it might not be uninteresting to you to
learn the truth of them from a more authentic source than the
newspapers; and I therefore trouble you with this, to inform you that
Parliament will certainly be dissolved in the course of a few days. I
hope I am not taking too great a liberty if at the same time I express
my earnest wishes that your lordship may be found among the supporters
of the friends of Government, on the occasion of the election of
representative Peers for Scotland.—I have the honour to be, with great
truth and regard, your lordship's very obedient humble servant,Spencer.

"Lord Napier, &c. &c. &c."

"Edinburgh, 21st October, 1806.

"My Dear Lord,—I have this day had the honour of
receiving your lordship's letter of the 18th instant; and am very
sensible of your attention, and the trouble you have had the goodness to
take in giving me information of the certainty of an immediate
dissolution of Parliament. Having on several occasions experienced the
good will of the Peers of Scotland, I feel it my duty again to offer
myself to their notice. In forming my list for voting at the general
election, I consider myself bound, in honour and gratitude, to give my
support to those lords who have uniformly befriended me, in preference
to new candidates who may now come forward, and from whom I have
hitherto received no countenance. Should the arrangement I may
ultimately make for the disposal of my votes not accord with your
lordship's wishes, I trust you will do me the justice to believe that I
am not actuated by factious motives, nor by any want of respect for your
lordship.—I have the honour to be, my dear Lord, your lordship's most
obedient humble servant,Napier.

"The Eight Hon. Earl Spencer, &c. &c. &c."

"Whitehall, 27th October, 1806.

"My Dear Lord,—I have had the honour of your letter
of the 21st instant, and am much concerned at the contents of it, as I
am very apprehensive that the new candidates who intend to offer
themselves for the Representation of the Scottish Peerage, and are
supporters of Government, will not be disposed to give their support
unless they can expect support in return.—I have the honour to be, my
dear Lord, your lordship's very obedient humble servant,Spencer.

"Lord Napier."

"Edinburgh, 30th October, 1806.

"My Dear Lord,—I have this moment had the honour of
receiving your lordship's letter of the 27th inst. I certainly cannot
expect the votes of candidates from whom I may withhold my support; but
I trust that such as I may be ready to change votes with will be equally
inclined to do so with me.—I have the honour to be, my dear Lord, your
lordship's most obedient humble servant,
Napier.

"The Right Hon. Earl Spencer, &c. &c. &c."

Lord Napier was not undersized, though he appears
rather diminutive between his gigantic companions in the Print; and a
certain air of nobility set off a figure of goodly proportions. He was
remarkable for an eagle-eye; and, we must add, an eagle-nose, which Kay
has rendered perhaps rather prominent, by placing the other features too
much in abeyance; yet the characteristic expression of the portrait is
so marked as not to be mistaken. His lordship is represented in his
uniform as Colonel of the Hopetoun Fencibles. "When not in regimentals,
he generally dressed plainly, but with the nicest attention to
propriety, although in his day the garb of gentlemen was of the most
gaudy description—consisting very frequently of a crimson or purple
coat, green plush vest, black breeches, and white stockings.

The following anecdote related in Lockhart's Life
of Scott, as illustrative of Lord Napier's finical taste, is
altogether apocryphal:— "Lord and Lady Napier had arrived at Castlemilk
(in Lanarkshire), with the intention of staying a week; but next morning
it was announced that a circumstance had occurred which rendered it
indispensable for them to return without delay to their own seat in
Selkirkshire. It was impossible for Lady Stewart to extract any further
explanation at the moment, but it turned out afterwards that Lord
Napier's valet had committed the grievous mistake of packing up a set of
neckcloths which did not correspond, in point of date, with the
shirts they accompanied !" No one who knew his lordship could believe
him guilty of such an absurdity; for, with all his preciseness in
matters of duty, and his sensitive notions of etiquette, he entertained
a much greater dread of rendering himself unbecomingly conspicuous, than
of any ridicule that could possibly arise from au oversight in the
punctilio of dress.

[That the above ridiculous story was current, as a
jest, in some circles, is true, but it had no foundation in fact. Our
informant, whose authority is not to be doubted, is "perfectly
positive Lord and Lady Napier never were at Castlemilk in their
lives, and almost as positive they were not acquainted with Lady
Stewart."

The circumstance alluded to, but not fully explained,
by Mr. Lock-hart, of Lord Napier having been the person who induced Sir
Walter Scott to reside for some period of the year within the bounds of
his Sheriffdom of Selkirkshire, was alike honourable to the
Lord-Lieutenant, and to the illustrious Sheriff himself, who, as his
biographer frankly admits, feeling that Lord Napier was clearly in the
right, cheerfully adopted the suggestion, and planted his immortal staff
where it became the prcesidium at once, and the dulce decus
of the Forest; and Lord Napier may be pardoned for having been, in
those times of threatened invasion, as enthusiastic in his duties of
Lord-Lieutenant as was the Sheriff in those of a volunteer cavalry
officer.]

In company his lordship was far from reserved. He was
particularly kind and attentive to such young persons as appeared
bashful; and, that they might feel more at ease, lost no opportunity of
engaging them in conversation.

Lord Napier married Maria Margaret, eldest daughter
of Lieut.-General Sir William Clavering, K.B. By this marriage his
lordship had nine children. He died in 1823, and was succeeded by his
eldest son, "William-John, eighth Lord Napier, a spirited and benevolent
nobleman, long eminent in the south of Scotland as an improver in
store-farming, and as a benefactor of the forest. (Capt. Charles Napier,
R.N., who lately distinguished himself in the service of the Queen of
Portugal, and the late Lord Napier were cousins.) Lord Napier died in
his forty-eighth year, at Macao, in China, October 11, 1834, of a
lingering fever, brought on by anxiety in the performance of a high
official duty, as Chief Superintendent of British Trade in that empire,
and which was increased by the harsh treatment he received from the
Chinese Government.

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